1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveyor apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication S63-100415 discloses a conveyor apparatus, which comprises a support member capable of excursion along a goods conveying path, and a plurality of flexible goods receptacle members provided on the support member at different positions thereof along the conveying direction of the support member. Each goods receptacle member is supported by the support member at an upstream and a downstream support point in the conveying direction such that it can be suspended in a flexible U-shaped form to form a U-shaped goods receptacle.
With this conveyor apparatus, since the goods receptacle members are flexible, when goods are thrown into the goods receptacle members, the force of impacts of throwing can be absorbed by the flexing deformation of the goods receptacle members to reduce damage to the goods and generation of noise. In addition, owing to their flexibility the goods receptacle members can undergo flexing deformation such as to fit the forms of the thrown goods to hold the goods in a nearly arranged fashion. For example, a plurality of goods can be held in a stable form of neat arrangement in the longitudinal direction.
In the prior art, however, a plurality of goods are held in each goods receptacle member of the conveyor apparatus in a substantially fixed form alone over the entire range of the U-shaped goods receptacle, and it is impossible to adjust the form of goods in the goods receptacle member. Therefore, when discharging the goods collected in the goods receptacle member, it is difficult to re-form the goods for handling in the discharge place of station.
The present invention seeks to provide a conveyor apparatus, which has goods receptacle members suspended in a flexibly U-shaped form and permits ready adjustment of the form of goods in each goods receptacle member.
In another aspect of the prior art, there is a conveyor apparatus, which comprises a support member capable of excursion along a goods conveying path and a plurality of buckets supported by the support member at different positions in the conveying direction. In this bucket conveyor, goods which are thrown while the conveyor is in excursion along the goods conveying path, are collected and discharged as the bucket opening is directed sidewise or downward at a switching point of discharge in the excursion path of the conveyor.
With this prior art bucket conveyor, however, the collected goods are discharged from the bucket opening such that they fly out. In other words, the goods can not be discharged in a neatly arranged form.
The invention also seeks to permit collected goods of a single kind or a plurality of different kinds to be discharged in a neatly arranged form.